Three Iranian operatives have been charged by the US Justice Department for hacking Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in a coordinated effort to undermine his candidacy and erode public trust in the US electoral process, AP News reports.
The hackers, linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, launched a cyber operation in 2020 targeting email accounts of Trump campaign officials, a former US ambassador to Israel, US government officials, and journalists. Their aim was to steal and spread sensitive information in a “hack-and-leak” operation to damage Trump and influence the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Iran’s government has denied the charges, the US has imposed sanctions on the hackers and offered rewards for information leading to their capture.
The US government has accused Iran of seeking to influence elections through disinformation and cyberattacks, especially given the tense relationship between Tehran and Washington following the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the killing of General Qassem Soleimani.
